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His mouth pulls into a little grimace of distaste, but quickly quirks into a smile. “Only if I get to add something adult to it.”
Pressing my uninjured cheek against his chest, I ask, “And cookies?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. Whatever cookies you want.”
We go back and forth for another few minutes, talking about Christmas and the cookies I’m going to bake for the guys at the station, my stomach and nerves gradually settling.
And then the district attorney comes up to us, and my heart stutters. “Ari,” she says, effortlessly calm and confident. “It’s time for you to go in.”
As we walk toward the courtroom, Cash dips his head to whisper in my ear. “You’re going to be great, honey. I have absolute confidence in you.”
ThankGodit’sover.
As I leave the courtroom, my body goes weak with relief. Cash seems to sense it and quickly moves to my side, wrapping his arm around my waist.
“You did it, sweetheart.” He gazes down at me, his eyes so full of pride and love, my heart bursts with it. “I’m so proud of you, Ari. You were incredible.”
I rest my head on his shoulder, taking a moment to just breathe. To breathe out the stress, the fear, the sick feeling in my stomach—taking a moment to let my body catch up with my brain.
It was beyond stressful in there, talking about the restaurant, and the drink, how Kyle urged me on, encouraging me to drink faster, and the trunk…
But I’ve never felt stronger.
Twining my arm around Cash’s waist, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “It doesn’t feel real.”
As we start walking away from the courtroom, Cash asks, “What doesn’t?”
Collecting my thoughts, I explain. “That it’s finally over. That the thing he was so determined I wouldn’t do… I did it. I feel like… no matter what the jury decides, I still won.”
His expression goes thunderous. “There’sno waythey’re letting him go free. Not after what you said.”
Even though Cash already knew all the details, it was hard for him to hear them again. Whenever I’d cast quick glances over at him while I was testifying, his expression was stony and his jaw could cut glass.
“I hope not.”
A voice calls out, “Ari. A moment.” We pause as the district attorney catches up to us. There’s a rare smile on her face, which I hope means good news. “You did great in there.”
Cash tugs me closer to his side. “She did.”
“Thanks.” I meet her dark brown eyes, the warmest I’ve seen them since we met. “I hope it was enough.”
“I’m almost certain, Ari. If I were to bet on it…” Her smile broadens. “His attorney is suddenly talking about plea bargains, which means he knows his case is falling apart.”
Cash’s voice goes hard. “A plea bargain after he tried to have Arikilled?”
“We’re not taking it. I’m confident the jury will find him guilty. And he’ll be going away for a very long time.” She shifts her gaze from Cash to me. “I’ll keep you updated, of course. I imagine we’ll have a verdict fairly soon; closing arguments are tomorrow, and if my read on the jury is correct, they won’t take long to deliberate.”
The bands around my chest relax a little. “Thank you. For all your help.”
She smiles again. “It was my pleasure. Now, go home, and enjoy your holiday. Enjoy each other. You deserve it.”
After being drugged and thrown in a trunk, nearly poisoned by carbon monoxide, shot at, and kidnapped by Cash’s drug-addicted brother? Yes. We definitelydo.
Thinking about it again as we get into Cash’s car, I laugh to myself.
His eyebrows jump up. “What?”
“Just thinking how crazy all of this has been. It’s like a Lifetime movie on steroids.”
